This project is a review of magelonid polychaetes from the Seas surrounding the Arabian Peninsula, including the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and the Gulfs of Aden and Oman. A review of all known Magelonid species in the area was carried out by Mortimer (2010), and included the re-descriptions of four species, Magelona obockensis from the Red Sea, Magelona heteropoda and Magelona pulchella from Kuwait and Magelona tinae from Thailand. The project continued by investigating magelonid species from surveys off the coasts of Iran and Qatar, in collaboration with the Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB), Spain. This work has been published in Zootaxa (Mortimer, Cassà, Martin & Gill, 2012) and details specimens collected between 1998 and 2007. Five species are newly recorded for the region: Magelona cf. agoensis, Magelona cf. cincta, M. conversa, Magelona cf. falcifera and M. symmetrica. This work further includes the description of two species deemed new to science: M. sinbadi sp. nov. and M. montera sp nov. This work builds upon two earlier papers of the magelonids of the Seychelles (Mortimer & Mackie 2003, 2006) and one paper on the magelonids of Hong Kong (Mortimer & Mackie, 2009).

Mortimer, K. & Mackie, A.S.Y. 2003. The Magelonidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Seychelles, with the description of three new species. Proceedings of the Seventh International Polychaete Conference, Reykjavik, Iceland, 2001 Hydrobiologia 496(1-3): 163-173.

Mortimer, K. 2010. Magelonidae (Polychaeta) from the Arabian Peninsula: a review of known species, with notes on Magelona tinae from Thailand. Zootaxa2628: 1–26.

Mortimer, K., Cassà, S., Martin, D. & Gil, J. 2012. New records and new species of Magelonidae (Polychaeta) from the Arabian Peninsula, with a re–description of Magelona pacifica and a discussion on the magelonid buccal region. Zootaxa3331: 1–43.

Magelenidae from Portugal

This project is a review of magelonid polychaetes from the southwestern Portuguese continental shelf, collected during the SEPLAT 6&7 cruises between 1981 and 1983. This work has been published in the proceedings of the 10th International Polychaete Conference.

Mortimer, K., Gil, J. & Fiege, D. (2011) Portuguese Magelona (Annelida: Magelonidae) with a description of a new species, a re-description of Magelona wilsoni Glémarec, 1966 and a key to adult Magelonidae from European waters. Italian Journal of Zoology. 78(S1): 124-139.

The Magelonidae (Polychaeta) of the Yellow Sea, China

This project reviewed the magelonid species of the Yellow Sea, China, describing a new species, Magelona parochilis Zhou & Mortimer, 2013. Although this family of marine bristle-worms is one of the most commonly encountered species in Chinese coastal waters, the knowledge of this group in northern Chinese waters has been virtually unknown. The project looked at samples taken on a tidal flat and in a shallow subtidal area of the Jiangsu Province in partnership with the East China Sea Fisheries Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Shanghai. This work built upon earlier work by museum staff on magelonids from Hong Kong (Mortimer & Mackie 2009)

A review of the European Magelonidae

A partial review of the European Magelonidae was carried out by Fiege et al. in 2000, however, further work on the taxonomy of this group in European waters is needed. This project builds on work carried out on the Magelonidae from Portuguese waters and aims to complete the review of European species. New drawings, re-descriptions, images and Scanning Electron Microscope pictures will be produced.